COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Democrat Tim Ryan secured his party’s nomination for a vacant Senate seat on Tuesday and will now face the winner of one of the most contentious and closely watched Republican primaries in the nation.
Author and venture capitalist JD Vance is seen as the GOP front-runner in the race to replace retired Senator Rob Portman after receiving late-term endorsement from former President Donald Trump, culminating a bitter and costly race that, in a moment, he saw two candidates nearly come to blows on a debate stage. The race is seen as a critical early test of Trump’s endorsement power as the midterm primary season gets underway.
Ryan was a heavy favorite to win his three-way Democratic primary against progressive Morgan Harper, a former consumer protection attorney, and Columbus activist and tech executive Traci Johnson. But he is expected to face an uphill battle this fall in a state that was once a political powerhouse but voted for Trump twice by an 8-point margin.